I live on my computer. It’s where I work, listen to music, watch tv, connect with friends, follow the news... My computer serves countless functions in both my personal and my professional life.

And I love it.

But it can also get complicated. How can I ensure that the tweet I am trying to send for a client doesn’t accidentally go out through my own account (or MUCH WORSE - that my own tweet doesn’t go out through theirs)? How do I check both my personal email and my work email without mixing up the two and losing track of sender? How about engaging with YouTube while also being logged into the Google Apps through a separate, professional setting?

Not having a work computer means combining your personal and work systems in endless ways. But keeping the different components of your life distinct is as easy as... using more than one internet browser.

I for one use Firefox for my “real” life. Chrome is my work browser. When additional projects come in that need not just their own space, but their own house altogether, it’s time to load up Safari.

This system has long kept me sane and relaxed, even when things start piling up. Try it yourself and let me know what you think.

Pro tip: If you have a Mac, you can actually create different “desktops.” Get these setup and watch how quickly things start settling in to focus!

People often ask how they can get new followers on social media. There are many shortcuts and tricks. But as with most things in life, the things worth having are worth earning. Buying followers from Facebook farms will not help you, your organization or your brand. It will actually hurt you and your ability to engage with the people that actually care what you have to say.

That being said, if you have money to invest, it is definitely worth running a Like campaign on Facebook and/or a Follower campaign on Twitter. For as little as a dollar a day (or as much money as you choose), Facebook and Twitter will promote your page to people that will actually be excited to learn about you.

You’re probably wondering: what’s the difference between buying followers and paying Facebook to find you followers? It’s simple: the latter will be real people. The former will not. The latter will care about you and your brand. The former will not (since they aren’t people, it’s hard for them to care about anything!).

If you are interested in running a Like or Follower campaign, drop me a line. I can run one for you or your organization, or I can teach you how to run one on your own.

But none of this is the point of this blog post. The point of this blog post is to gain followers without spending any money. In fact, the tip I am sharing here will (barely) even cost you any time.

It’s a simple, straightforward, easy task. If you want people to follow you on social media… ask them!

At your next event (it can be anything from a gala or a dinner to a concert or an art opening), take a moment and remind everyone that if they like you, your organization, your music, your art, your work… they should follow you on Facebook, Twitter and wherever else you can be found online.

Pro tip: Instead of asking them to follow you when they get home, get everyone’s attention and then ask them to take out their phones. Encourage them to follow you right there on the spot.

Not only will you gain followers, they will be the best kinds of followers: fans who actually care what you have to say. After all, who is going to care more about what you say online than the people who spent time/effort/money to join you at an event?

Now comes the hard part: keeping them engaged and interested. That takes a concerted strategy. If you don’t have one, you should. Let’s create one.

A tweet is a 140 characters. You can add links, pictures, even videos. But you get 140 characters to express yourself, no more.

The same used to be true of a direct message (DM) sent through Twitter. No more. As of this week, Twitter is allowing users to really open up and speak their mind… so long as their mind’s thoughts are directed at a single individual.

Twitter has officially raised the character limit of a DM from 140 to 1000.

It makes sense (in the opinion of someone sporadically who uses DMs). I don’t worry as much about making everything retweetable or even digestible in a single DM, the way that I would in a tweet. I just hit send when I’m almost out of characters, no matter where I am in the sentence (I personally will not send a DM mid-word, although I am sure plenty of folks do). Then I just keep typing.

If you have never connected with someone through a DM, give it a shot. Not sure who to write? Drop me a line and start enjoying all of that roomy new messaging real estate.

One note: if you try through your phone or tablet and you are still limited to your 140 characters, you probably just need to update Twitter on your device. If you do that and it still doesn’t solve the problem, drop me a (short) DM, or an email, and we can brainstorm it together.